The leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, says he has contacted “a handful” of elected CAQ members to attract them to his ranks since the October election. The newly independent MP Marie-Louise Tardif is not one of them: the Conservative leader will wait until she is “cleared” of the allegations against her.
At a press conference on Wednesday in Quebec City, Mr. Duhaime reacted for the first time to the media to the “temporary” withdrawal of the member for Laviolette–Saint-Maurice from the caucus of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). Ms. Tardif, who is serving her second term as elected to the National Assembly, is the subject of an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec because she allegedly intimidated a former employee in the middle of the courtroom.
“It is important, and for her and for us, that she is cleared in this story. I think this is the first step before being able to dialogue, ”said Mr. Duhaime on Wednesday when asked about his interest in attracting him to his team.
At the end of the CAQ’s first mandate, the PCQ had succeeded in recruiting the member for Iberville, Claire Samson, after she had been excluded from the CAQ caucus because she had made a donation to Éric’s team. Duhaime. His presence in the National Assembly had notably enabled the Conservative leader to hold press briefings from the Parliament Building, in addition to allowing the party to express itself in the Blue Room.
However, Ms. Samson did not run in the October general election. Despite garnering nearly 531,000 votes, the Conservatives failed to elect any deputies to the National Assembly.
“Marauding”
Since then, Mr. Duhaime says he is “marauding”. On Wednesday, he agreed to have spoken with “a handful, let’s say”, of MPs since his electoral defeat. “It’s no secret,” he said.
The Conservative leader also said he had contact with “one person” outside the CAQ. Asked about the possibility that it was an independent MP, he preferred “not to name the names [de ceux] whose [il] speak “. The elected Vaudreuil Marie-Claude Nichols is the only one to bear the title of independent with the exception of Marie-Louise Tardif.
The CAQ did not want to comment on Mr. Duhaime’s remarks on Wednesday. She also did not want to reveal whether her deputies had to follow a protocol when approached by the PCQ.
Éric Duhaime has been complaining since October of not having access to the Parliament Building to make his party’s voice heard, at least in press conferences. He deplores the “undemocratic” behavior of his political opponents. “From the moment we are blocked from all access, the only option left is to attract a deputy,” he argued. “It is certain that in the medium and long term, [ne pas avoir d’élu] has an impact. »
And Youri Chassin?
The PCQ press conference on Wednesday focused first and foremost on the two private mini-hospitals that the government of François Legault wants to build in Montreal and Quebec. This pilot project is led by the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, Youri Chassin, “someone who, philosophically speaking, is a conservative”, launched Mr. Duhaime to the parliamentary press.
“Yuri is someone I’ve known for a very long time,” he said.
Member of Parliament for Saint-Jérôme, Mr. Chassin had made the headlines in October by not appearing at the swearing-in ceremony of the Council of CAQ Ministers. Dismissed from the Legault cabinet for a second term in a row, he refused to rule out the possibility that he was absent due to his disappointment at not being part of it.
Does Mr. Duhaime make foot calls with Mr. Chassin? “I never had any discussions with [lui] “, argued the conservative leader on Wednesday.